Senior Product Manager Jessica Carano recently joined Flower Press Interactive, bringing her 15 years of experience with brands like Bloomingdale’s and Travel + Leisure. Her customer-focused mentality combined with an understanding of digital functionality earned her a Webby Award for her work on Travel + Leisure’s website. Jessica studied Media Communications at Pace University.
What got you interested in a career in tech?
I started working in tech by accident. In college, I pursued theater and film directing as well as photography. Once I graduated I wanted steady work while finding my footing in the arts. A temp agency placed me within a small department in Bloomingdale’s dedicated to launching their first robust e-commerce site, and I was quickly picked up full-time. Because Bloomingdale’s was entering the digital arena later than some other stores, things moved quickly. I got to watch a decade’s worth of progress in just a few years and quickly became a jack of all trades. As the website caught up with the industry I worried that my opportunities to learn would slow. I quickly realized that tech is a constantly evolving industry, and if I stuck with it, I’d never go a day without learning something new.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Tech is a broad field with many opinions about what it’s brought to our world. I try to focus on projects that can make a positive impact and I am grateful for the many opportunities I’ve had to do so. At Bloomingdales.com I was part of their philanthropic efforts by creating online opportunities to create awareness and increase donations to causes like BCRF, The Child Mind Institute, and JDRF. At Teachers Pay Teachers, I helped make teaching easier by improving the quality of an online learning platform. Now at Flower Press Interactive, we have a focus on impact-driven companies. As a Product Manager, even when a particular project doesn’t appear to have a direct social impact, my goal is always to look at a product and find ways to make it better for its users. That mindset keeps me engaged.
What’s the biggest challenge you face in your work?
As much as I love that I am constantly learning, there is truly no slow period in tech. While some industries have quarters that they can count on to offer a break, in the tech world we are always ready to react to new technology and changes to existing technology.
What’s your favorite thing to do outside of work?
As a working parent, I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies, but I have extremely funny kids with big hearts and I love watching them explore the world. When free time does present itself, my husband and I love hiking. Rarely will we consider a vacation spot without researching whether there is a good mountain to climb.
Are there any projects that stand out to you?
During my time as the Sr. Product Manager for Travel + Leisure’s website, we did a full redesign. The resulting site was beautiful, but beautiful doesn’t always mean user-friendly or functional. A huge collaboration of SEO, ad sales, an external design team, developers, editors, etc. came together to create a site that worked for its users and maintained the beauty of the Travel + Leisure brand; so well that it won the Webby Award for Best Travel Website. The award is prestigious, but the collaboration that made it happen is what I really enjoyed. I’ve mentioned being drawn to impact-driven work, and it’s easy to see a travel website as a simple luxury. I never saw it that way. As someone with an interest in photography and a curiosity about the world, I found the resulting website offered a break in my day where I could remember the beauty that is out there and dream of trips I’d one day take.
What would surprise people about your job?
Almost everything. Product Managers are one of those groups that joke that our best friends and even our parents don’t really know what we do for a living. I think the biggest surprise comes in how creative the work can be. In my circle, that piece of information generally comes with a big “aha” moment that explains how someone who studied the arts feels at home in tech.
